barebottom flow

[Detritivore]

from what i have read, the main purpose of flow in a BB tank is to transport detritus to the skimmer. But how much flow is enough? obviously, you can keep adding pumps, streams, eductors, etc. until you blow all the water out of your tank, but when do you get to the point where adding more flow would just be wasting electricity? take bombers tank, for example. when you actually think about it, he doesnt have as much flow as most people do. lets say, his return(iwaki 100RLT) puts out 2000gph and his eductor(on iwaki 55RLT) puts out 3000-5000 gph. so that accounts to approximately 5000-7000 gph of flow in his 350 BB. obviously then, its not really how much flow you have, rather, what you do with it. so, i'd like to know your thoughts on this subject. what do you think is the optimum amount of the flow and the best method of achieving that?

[clockwork]

I personally think you have enough flow when nothing settles anywhere and it all ends up in the skimmer or sump .

The only thing I have to siphon out of my tank are broken frags and snail shells.

[Weatherman]

It ain’t how much flow you have, it’s what you do with it that counts.

Of all the various pumps and eductors and powerheads I’ve used to manage flow, by far the best and most efficient are Tunze Streams on a multicontroller. Depending on your tank size and the type of animals you want to keep, you should get two, three or four of them, models 6000, 6100 or 6200.

Nothing else comes close in giving you the ability to manage flow in your tank.

(Be sure to get magnet holders. It allows you to place the pumps just about anywhere and they won’t come loose.)